North Korea held a ceremony Monday to open an advanced mobile phone network in the reclusive and impoverished country.

The official Korean Central News Agency says North Korean officials celebrated the start of the third-generation network, which was built by an Egyptian company, at a ceremony in Pyongyang.

Cairo-based Orascom Telecom Holding SAE has been building the network since announcing its $400 million deal with North Korea earlier this year.

It was unclear who would use the network or how much phones would cost. Third-generation networks provide mobile users with access to advanced mobile capabilities such as video calls and high-speed Internet access.

North Korea relies on international aid to feed its people and strictly controls its citizens' access to information.